Retail packaging adapted for stacking

ABSTRACT

Packaging for providing a convenient, efficient and economical medium for storing, protecting and shipping a product. A package in either assembled or unassembled form is provided whereby a product may be easily and efficiently secured and stored without damage and subsequently removed. An assembled package for containment of an article may include a sealed area defining borders of the package and a seamless gap area, wherein the article is restrained within the gap area.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/884,324 filed on Jul. 2, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates in general to packaging, and in particular, to containers and methods for packaging, storing and displaying an object for retail sale.

2. Description of Related Art

Packaging and storage containers are generally known. Typically, a package is fabricated and designed for simply holding and carrying its contents during transportation, shipping and/or storage. A means for sealing or allowing closure of the package may be provided to enclose the contents and prevent them from falling out. Typical packaging material may comprise cardboard or other paper products which may include areas on its exterior surface for placement of shipping labels/information, etc.

Prior art shipping packages are limited, however, in their lack of ability to display and/or advertise their specific contents. Generally, shipping packages are impractical for display and/or advertising purposes. For example, the actual contents of a shipping package generally have to be removed for proper display, sale, etc. This increases labor costs overall. Therefore, a need exists for an efficient, effective and economical way for simultaneously permitting a product to be shipped, displayed and advertised while reducing material and labor expenses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to packaging for providing a convenient, efficient and economical medium for storing, protecting and shipping a product, as well as providing advertising and display for the product.

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a container in which a product can be packaged, distributed, stored, presented, and displayed for sale.

It is another aspect of the invention to provide packaging in assembled and unassembled forms whereby the packaged product may be easily, efficiently and protectively secured and subsequently removed.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an assembled package for containment of an article is provided, the package comprising a sealed area defining borders of the package and a seamless gap area, wherein the article is restrained within the gap area.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a package for shipment and retail display of an article is provided comprising a first panel adjoined to a second panel, the first panel having at least one transparent window for display of the article. A sealing panel is provided adjoined to the first panel and at least two side panels are provided adjoined to the first panel, said side panels being adhered to the second panel to form a sealed area defining borders of the package, the package further including a gap area defined by an internal area of the package between the sealed areas and the first and second panels.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote similar elements throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a retail package according to an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a retail package according to an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a back view of a retail package according to an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an unassembled package according to an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view of an unassembled package according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the unassembled package of FIG. 5 in a partially folded position;

FIG. 7 is a back view of the package of FIG. 6 in an assembled configuration;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of packages in a stacked configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Media which cannot be displayed in an upright position alone, such as, e.g., mousepads, desk protectors, and other non-rigid and/or thin media, encounter special problems in handling and particularly, in retail display due to their inability to be stood upright e.g., for display and/or the nature of the material itself (e.g., being a transparent material which is not easily visible). It is to be noted that the present invention as described herein provides a efficient, compact and effective means for storing, shipping, displaying and advertising such materials in particular.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an assembled package 100 according to an aspect of the present invention. Package 100 includes a front panel 101 which includes at least one window 103 for allowing at least a portion of the contained product to be visibly displayed. The window 103 may be, for example, plastic film, mylar, waxed paper, or any other transparent material and may be positioned at any location on preferably the front panel 101. It is to be noted that the surface area of the window preferably covers less than about 20% of the overall surface area of the front panel 101. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the window 103 is rectangular having dimensions of about 2″×4″ and is located in an upper right hand corner of the front panel 101 as shown. Although shown rectangular, the window 103 can be made of any shape to provide sufficient viewing of the product.

The package 100 includes a rear panel 301 (see FIG. 3) adjoined to the front panel 101 along a first fold line 111. The front panel 101 includes a sealing panel 105 attached at a second fold line 113 for folding over and attaching to the rear panel 301 to seal the package 100 closed. The sealing panel 105 preferably includes an adhesive strip 302 (FIG. 3) for providing sealing and a perforated edge 106 for facilitating opening of the package 100. Side panels 303 are further provided which are adjoined to the front panel 101 along each of third and fourth fold lines 110 and 112, respectively.

It is to be noted that the front, rear, side and sealing panels are preferably constructed of e.g., cardboard, oaktag, or other paperboard material which may or may not be laminated and/or padded.

It is to be noted that the exterior face of at least the front panel 101 includes written material, graphics, photographs, illustrations, etc. advertising the product contained within. Such advertising material is generally customized to the product/article contained within the package 100. In addition, the placement and/or shape of the window 103 may be customized as desired in accordance with, e.g., the type/material/portion of the product which is desired to be displayed/viewed inside the package 100. However, it is desirable to limit the size of the window 103 (as discussed above) to prevent theft, removal and/or damage of the product contained within.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of a front view of the retail package 100 according to an aspect of the present invention, showing fold lines 110, 111, 112 and 113 as well as window 103, top sealing flap 105 and at least one perforated edge (perforations) 106. It is to be noted that perforated edge 106 is longitudinal to the second fold line 113. It is further to be noted that in the assembled package 100, each of the side panels 303 are attached to the rear panel 301 via e.g., an adhesive to secure the front panel 101 with the rear panel 301 to form the assembled package 100.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the assembled package 100 according to an aspect of the present invention. Package 100 includes an adhesive strip 302 for sealing the panel 105 to the back panel 301. It is to be noted that the adhesive strip 302 may comprise, e.g., a permanent adhesive or alternatively, a fugitive glue or other temporary adhesive so as to removably adhere the internal surface of the flap 105 to the back panel 301. Such a temporary adhesive is advantageous in allowing a customer to inspect and handle the contents of the package 100 while at the same time preventing the package 100 from become unsightly after initial opening and repeated re-storage of the contents.

In addition, side sealing flaps 303 (which are, e.g., extensions of the front panel 101) are adjoined at each of the fold lines 110 and 112 for providing a paperboard seal for permanently sealing sides of the front panel 110 to the back panel 301.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an unassembled package 400 according to an aspect of the present invention. Front panel 101 includes side sealing flaps 303 adjoined at each of third and fourth fold lines 110 and 112, and a rear sealing panel 105 adjoined at the second fold line 113. The unassembled package 400 is folded along fold line 111 such that the rear panel 301 is flat adjacent to the interior surface of the front panel 101. Side sealing flaps 303 can then be sealed to the back panel 301 for forming the assembled package 100.

FIGS. 5-8 depict various views of a package 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Unassembled package 500 includes a front panel 501 and a rear panel 503 adjoined to the front panel 501 along a first fold line 502. Side panels 505 are provided which are each adjoined to the front panel 501 along each of third and fourth fold lines 506 and 508. According to this embodiment, each of the side panels 505 are preferably permanently adhered/sealed to the front panel 501 to form the unassembled package 500.

To form an assembled package, the rear panel 503 is folded along the first fold line 502 in the direction of arrow 601 (see FIG. 6) and is sealed to each of the exposed (i.e., non-sealed) surfaces of the side panels 505. FIG. 7 shows a back view of the assembled package 700 in accordance with this embodiment, with side panels 505 (shown in broken lines) not being externally visible upon assembly of the package.

Upon such assembly, an interior gap area 801 is formed and defined, within which contents of the package may be contained. Preferably, only the areas of the rear panel 503 that make contact with the surfaces of each of the side panels 505 are sealed thereon (as shown in FIG. 8, which depicts a cross-sectional view of an assembled package 700). Accordingly, the interior gap area 801 of an assembled package according to this embodiment has a width 805 which is preferably defined as the area between broken lines 703 (i.e., the interior gap area 801 is the internal area excluding the portion of the package which is sealed, explained further below with reference to “sealed area 901”). The size of the width 805 may be varied as desired. A depth 803 of the interior gap area 801 may be determined and/or varied according to, e.g., at least the thickness of the side panels 505 which are folded over and sealed to the front panel 501.

Advantageously, the gap area 801 is free of any seams or additional bulk such that when each assembled package 700 is placed on top of one another in a stacked configuration (as shown in FIG. 9, which depicts an exemplary cross-sectional view of a plurality of packages 700 in a stacked configuration), any contents which may be contained within each package are prevented from being damaged or creased due to, e.g., the weight of the stack. That is, any contents within each assembled package 700 are preferably held only within the seamless gap area 801 and prevented from entering a sealed area 901. The sealed area 901 (e.g., defined as the area between dotted lines 703 and 903 in FIG. 9) comprises the area of the package 700 in which the side panels 505 are sealed onto the front panel 501 and portions of the rear panel 503 sealed to the exposed face of the side panels 505. That is, the sealed area 901 defines borders of the package 700.

In a preferred embodiment, the assembled package 700 is particularly adapted for holding contents which are flat and sheet-like (e.g., semi-rigid plastic sheets) which fit within the width 805 and depth 803 dimensions afforded by the gap area 801 with minimal bulging.

Such containment within the seamless gap area 801 facilitates storage of a plurality of packages 700 in a stacked configuration while advantageously preventing crease-marks or other damage to any contents inserted therein.

In both the unassembled and assembled packages, the front panel 501 preferably includes a sealing panel 507 attached at a second fold line 504 for folding over and attaching to the rear panel 503 to seal the package 700 closed upon assembly and hold the contents therein. The sealing panel 507 may include an adhesive strip as described above in FIG. 3 for facilitating sealing of the sealing panel 507 to the rear panel 503 to provide a closed package, and/or a perforated edge as described in FIG. 1 for facilitating opening of the assembled package 700.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

1. An assembled package for containment of an article, the package comprising: a sealed area defining borders of the package; and a seamless gap area, wherein the article is restrained within the gap area.
 2. The package of claim 1, wherein the assembled package is formed by: a front panel adjoined to a back panel by a first fold line; a sealing panel adjoined to the front panel by a second fold line; and at least two side panels adjoined to the front panel by third and fourth fold lines, wherein the side panels are each folded along their respective fold lines and adhered to the back panel to form the assembled package.
 3. The package of claim 2, wherein the sealed area is defined by areas of the package in which the side panels are adhered to the back panel.
 4. The package of claim 3, wherein the seamless gap area is defined by an internal area of the package between the sealed areas and the front and back panels.
 5. A package for shipment and retail display of an article comprising: a first panel adjoined to a second panel, the first panel having at least one transparent window for display of the article; a sealing panel adjoined to the first panel; and at least two side panels adjoined to the first panel, said side panels being adhered to the second panel to form a sealed area defining borders of the package, the package further including a gap area defined by an internal area of the package between the sealed areas and the first and second panels.
 6. The package of claim 5, wherein the sealing panel further comprises at least one perforation longitudinal to the second fold line.
 7. The package of claim 5, wherein the sealing panel further comprises an adhesive strip for sealing the sealing panel to the second panel.
 8. The package of claim 5, wherein the surface area of the at least one window comprises less than about 20% of the overall surface area of the first panel.
 9. The package of claim 5, wherein an exterior face of at least one of the first and second panels further comprises graphics and written advertising material customized to the article contained within said package. 